Core mounting means



April 1960 L. E. STEIMEN -CORE MOUNTING MEANS Filed Jan. 31, 1957 Inventor Zawrence E Szez'man By United States. Patent O "ice CORE MOUNTING MEANS Lawrence E. Steimen, Topsfield,'Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 31, 1957, Serial No. 637,529

2 Claims. (Cl. 340-174) example, an inside diameter of about .050, an outside diameter of about .080", and a thickness of about .025". Conductive wires extend through alined series of these magnetic cores, the entire array of cores normally being interconnected and coordinately arranged. Because of the :large number of small cores required and the difiiculties hitherto encountered in manually wiring them in proper assembled relation, memory planes have been both tedious and costly to construct. Various attempts have been made to design fixtures and provide techniques which would reduce the time required for assembly. For instance, an open frame has been employed having cross wires anchored thereto and threaded through the cores to support them, and a later development discloses the use of a plastic form having a single face molded correctly to orient core receiving pockets. The latter fixture affords in-suflicient control of the several thousands of small cores which may be loaded thereon and consequently, before completing the threading of each of them with the four wires normally used, there is considerable risk of error being encountered in the wired assembly or mat which thereafter must be removed and mounted on a frame having suitable terminals for anchoring the lead wires.

In view of the foregoing it is an object of this invention to provide a simple, yet reliable assemblage of unit and composite memory planes, and to provide an improved core mounting means versatile in nature and capable of being economically constructed. To these .ends features of the invention reside in its physical aspect, in the provision of a unit memory plane comprising a core-holding matrix of non-conducting material including two adjacent parts formed with matching channels in their common surface, certain of said channels extending substantially at right angles to other of said channels and additional ones of said channels extending diagonally through the intersect-ions of the right angular channels, all of the matching channels extending to an outer edge of their respective parts, and the parts of said matrix being formed at said intersections with complemental core-receiving slots adapted to hold the cores in fixed alinement for the axial reception of conductors extending in said channels.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction, will now be more fully described in connection with an illustrative memory plane unit in which the invention is embodied 2,934,748 Patented Apr. 26, 1969 and with reference to the accompanying drawings thereof in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a memory plane unit having a portion removed better to reveal the details in construction and schematically indicating the manner in which conductors (only portions of which are shown) may be threaded through mounted cores and terminated;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 11-11 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken in the plane indicated by arrows IIIIII of Fig. 1, and showing three memory plane units similar to that of Fig. l in vertically stacked formation; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the trailing end portion of a tubular needle adapted to receive a wire to be threaded. v

An illustrative memory plane unit, generally designated 10 in Fig. 1, comprises a composite core-holding matrix, a fiat portion 12 of which is mounted in register with a flat portion 14. The portions 12, 14 are of non-conducting material and preferably of a plastic molded so that their common confronting surfaces are formed with straight matching channels -'16 adapted to receive conductive wires as hereinafter described. Some of the channels 16 intersect others right angularly, and still other channels 16 extend diagonally through the intersections of the right angular or coordinal channels, all of the channels extending from one marginal edge of the matrix to another edge. The portions 12, 14 are further formed to provide a plurality of coordinately disposed, complemental slots for enveloping and holding individual magnetic cores 18 in predetermined relation at the channel intersections, and preferably, normal to the general plane containing the wire receiving channels.

normally receiving about one-half of a core. Alternately vertical rows of the slot 20, as viewedin Fig. '1, are similarly disposed, the slots in one vertical row extending normal to those in an adjacent row. Incidentally, it should be noted in Fig. 1 that certain of the cores 18 (those disposed along horizontal channels 16 in the broken-away portion) have been turned about their respective vertical axes more than would be shown in an accurate illustration; this exaggeration is for the purpose of more clearly showing 'how each core is disposed at channel intersections.

It is to be understood that the configuration of the slots and pockets will be selected to facilitate any preferred core-loading procedure and subsequent holding of the cores. In this'instance, the pockets 22 preferably extend through the portion 14 and have inturned lips 24, Fig. 2, arranged to support each loaded core at least until it is axially wired. Similarly, the slots 20 preferably have their receiving edges flared to facilitate core loading from the upper face of the portion 12. By thus forming the slots and pockets the cores may conveniently be loaded, for example, by haphazardly placing them on the portion 12 when it is secured in register with the portion 14 and agitating the assemblage while applying a draft of reduced pressure through the lips 24 to induce a core to enter each slots and be seated in each pocket. The loading of cores into marginal slots may be assisted by a soft brush and the brush then used to sweep off any excess cores. In order to test for the necessary presence of a core in each slot and its pocket, as well as to ascertain 'that'the' electrical character of each loaded core is satisfactory, a well-known testing circuit, including a meter 25 (Fig. 1) and a pair of probes 26, 28, may be .used. These probes are preferably in the form of slender tubular needles and are externally coated with non- .conducting material. As one probe is shifted step by step through the loaded cores and along an abscissa "channel'16, the other probe is to be similarly shifted along an ordinate channel 16, and the resultant meter readings noted to determine if they accord with values known to be proper. Should a reading be improper, the ,locationof a missing core will be apparent, and if no icore is missing, the character of the core in that known location will be known to be defective and may be replaced. While the assembly of a memory plane unit may not necessarily involve the probing described or the use of any other testing means, it is found to be a valuable step when conducted, since it conveniently checks for error and may advantageously be combined with the Wir- .ing of the cores, when mounted as herein disclosed, as

will be described.

' (One wiring of memory planes requires the passing of four wires through each core, as indicated in Fig. 1, 'as'fo'llows: An X wire extends only from one marginal edge to an opposite marginal edge; a Y wire extends only from one marginal edge to an opposite marginal edge and at right angles to the X wire; a digit wire Z (is continuous and passes through each core parallel to each Ywire; and a sense wire S also passes through each core, but in a'different manner, that is to say, half of the S winding if threaded through each core along alternate'diagonals, while the other half passes through each of the remaining cores along diagonals normal to the "altemate diagonals just mentioned. One end of the X wire is thrust endwise into the probe 26 until jammed or otherwise detachably secured therein, and the other end of the X wire is secured as by solder to a terminal lug .1301 (Fig. 1) having an end portion anchored in the mar- Ig in' of the unit 10. The Y wire is similarly dealt with as regards its probe 28 and a terminal lug 32. The prob ing proceeds in the X and Y channels 16 as above described, and, assuming no omission of a. core 18, or any "defect is noted, after the probes are drawn through the respective channels and freed from their wires, the loose .endsof the wires are secured on their adjacent terminal lugs. The Z and S wires may thereafter be drawn by their probes, one at a time through the specified channels 16 and terminated as required to complete the described circuit design.

'It will be understood that a memory plane unit may be formed in a variety of ways to provide means for suitably coupling it after assemblage in horizontalor vertically stacked relation 'with other similar units 10. As many units will be coupled as are necessary to provide an adequate array of cores. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, each corner of the portions 12, 14 is formed, for example, with coaxial bores, and each bore in the portion is enlarged to accommodate and register a cylindrical projection 34 integral with the portion 12. This projection preferably is formed with a shoulder to provide clearance between adjacent stacked portions 12 and 14. A complete stack of assembled units 10 may be locked together by suitable pins.36.(one shown in Fig. 3) extending through the al-ined projections 34 and the bores registered therewith, and the lugs of the respective units may, of course, be electrically connected as required.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A unit memory plane comprising a core-holding matrix of..non-conducting.material'and including two adjacent parts formed with matching channels in their common surface, certain of said channels extending substantially at right angles to other of said channels and additional 'ones of said matching channels extending diagonally 'through'the intersections of the right angular channels, all of. the matching channels extending to an outer edge of their respective parts, and the parts of said matrix being formed at said intersections with complemental core-receiving slots adapted to hold the cores in fixed alinement for the axial reception of conductors extending in said channels.

.2. A memory plane unit set forth in claim 1 and further characterized in that the slots in one of said parts are provided with flared receiving edges in its external face and the slots in the other of said parts are formed with at least one inturned lip lying in the external face of said other part, the depth of each slot being at least equal to one half of the outside diameter of the cores to be received therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

